Ben and Rey: An Empire of Peace
by Starfire93
Summary: After the fall of the Sith, Ben struggles to find a new identity among his mother's people with Rey guiding him. The two are finally free to get to know each other and discover just how strong the bond between them can be.
1. Chapter 1

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Star Wars! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every other Saturday!**

—

Rey was dying.

Rey was dead.

The battle with her grandfather, the battle with herself, it was finally over.

Battles aren't won by bargains, battles are won through sacrifice.

And to end this fight, Rey paid with her life.

No….

Rey felt her body go weak, she was just about to look down at herself when she jolted suddenly and saw someone staring back at her.

It was the face of Kylo Ren, but as Rey looked into his dark eyes, full of concern and hope, she knew that was incorrect.

Kylo Ren, the villain, was gone.

Rey realized who was looking back at her…..

"Ben?" Rey asked hopefully.

"Yes." Ben Skywalker nodded quickly.

Rey looked into Ben's eyes and Ben looked back, curious and joyful at the same time.

There, in that foreboding, crumbling, desolate place that would serve as a tomb for all the sith, Ben Skywalker kissed Rey Palpatine as their lips met sweetly.

When they finally broke apart, Ben clung to consciousness while Rey helped him slowly to his feet.

Ben's wounds were serious and he had used a startling amount of energy to pull Rey back from the edges of oblivion….

But Ben felt like it was certainly worth the trouble.

"I never thought I'd get to meet you." Rey remarked as they stumbled back towards the ship.

"You met me when we first saw each other, now I finally understand that." Ben grunted.

Rey tightened her grip to steady the wounded man, helping him to gently lay on a stretcher once they reached the ship.

Ben closed his eyes to rest and was quickly whisked away to receive medical attention.

Rey stood watching them carry Ben away until he was no longer in sight.

Quietly, Rey smiled to herself.

Yes, maybe she had met Ben Skywalker from the start, not Kylo Ren.

Maybe that was what had spurred her to keep fighting all along…..

—

The first thing Ben saw when he opened his eyes was light.

Bright light.

Ben furrowed his brow and turned his face away from the sun streaming into the small tent that he was currently occupying.

"You're finally awake." A voice happily noted.

Ben looked over and saw Rey sitting in a chair at his bedside.

It took Ben a moment to get his bearings.

"...Where are we?" Ben asked.

It made Rey smile that he was automatically grouping them both together.

_Where are we, _Ben had asked, _not where am I._

"We're safe, this is the place…..." Rey cleared her throat as tears of grief threatened to pool in her eyes. "This is the last place that your mother was, and I was here with her for a long time."

Once Ben recovered his senses, his dark eyes drooped with sadness as he and Rey exchanged a look.

The loss of Leia weighed heavily on them both.

"She forbade me to go and join the battle, but I went anyway. I went because it's what she would have done." Rey said quietly, breaking the heavy silence.

Ben's deep eyes were intent as he looked at Rey and spoke, "You came for me."

"Yes." Rey nodded, meeting Ben's gaze. "And I'm glad."

"So am I." Ben added.

Ben tried to sit up in his makeshift bed and groaned, clutching the tight bandages that had been carefully wrapped around his chest and torso.

"Relax, relax!" Rey said quickly, jumping out of her seat and laying a hand on Ben's shoulder to ease him back down gently.

Ben grit his teeth as pain surged through his broken ribs.

"I wish I could tell her that I'm sorry." Ben hissed through his pain.

"I think she already knows." Rey reassured Ben soothingly.

Rey found herself gently stroking Ben's hair out of his face.

Rey paused for a moment until Ben shakily lifted a hand and clutched Rey's tightly.

"I am... truly sorry." Ben admitted quietly.

"Me too." Rey said with a disappointed look, thinking back about all of the violence and suffering that had taken place even years before either of them were born.

"I can't change the past." Ben sighed, letting his hand fall away.

"No, but we can change the future." Rey mused.

"Together?" Ben asked hopefully.

Rey smiled.

"Together." She nodded.

A Skywalker and a Palpatine.

It was a mostly unlikely match, but sometimes, the most unlikely of things compliments one another the best.

—

Rey spent the next few weeks helping to care for the wounded, repairing ships and droids, and checking on Ben daily.

Ben's recovery was slow.

The former Sith Lord's energy was depleted, and his wounds were bothersome, but as time passed, he began to make some gradual progress.

Ben recovered the ability to sit up, then to stand, and eventually he learned how to walk again, very carefully, with Rey helping to guide him at first.

It was not easy to get Leia's subordinates to welcome, let alone accept, her son that had chosen the dark side and slaughtered many of their family and friends.

There was a lot of convincing to the general public on Ben's behalf that Rey, Finn, and Poe took part in, but eventually, Leia's supporters began to speak to Ben in passing.

They started to sit with him and share meals.

They started to laugh with him and engage in pleasant conversation.

One evening, at a large party celebrating the fall of the sith several months afterwards, Ben noticed that he had been entirely accepted and absorbed into his mother's society.

And Rey was right beside him…..

Ben turned away from the group of fighters he had just been talking to and watched Rey for a moment.

Ben admired the way Rey smiled and laughed, the way she stood, the curves of her hips as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other since there was nowhere to sit it was so crowded…

Ben's grew soft as he watched her.

Rey…...

Maybe Rey was right.

Maybe they could change the future _together._


	2. Chapter 2 - Sit with me

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Star Wars! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every other Saturday!**

—

Rey woke very early one morning, bathed, and dressed.

Just as the sun was rising, Rey walked alone to the edges of the forest where Leia's followers lived.

There, on a small, moss-covered hill, Rey sat down and pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs.

The view was relaxing, spanning several miles of lush grassland with trees dotting here and there.

It was peaceful and it would stay that way.

Rey knew, it was something she had discovered a long time ago.

No one ever came that far to the edge of the forest.

Rey had spent many reflective mornings and quiet evenings there on that mossy hill.

Rey closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

She focused on the chirping of the birds and the gentle humming of the insects that flew far above her head….

Letting her breath out, Rey opened her eyes.

The hill was still peaceful, but Rey could feel that she was no longer alone.

"Good morning." Rey smiled, still looking straight ahead.

"Good morning." A voice replied.

"Would you like to sit with me?" Rey asked.

The voice didn't answer, but a few seconds later, Ben sat down beside her in the moss.

"Did you follow me here?" Rey asked with a laugh.

"No," Ben replied. "I watched you come here before I woke."

A moment of silence passed between them as a gentle morning breeze blew past.

"It looks like I'm doing nothing, but I'm actually very busy right now." Rey explained, looking over at Ben.

Anyone else would have thought that Rey was being sarcastic, but Ben recognized the importance of mindfulness and meditation.

"I can see that." Ben replied. "Maybe I can join you?"

Rey smiled at Ben and closed her eyes, stretching her legs away from her chest, and crossing them, Rey laid her hands on her knees, opening her right one.

Ben took the invitation and clasped Rey's hand.

Then he closed his own eyes.

Neither of them were truly prepared.

At first it was gentle and pleasant, they were there, the two of them, experiencing the ebb and the flow of the life force that flowed through all living things…...

Then that ebb and flow morphed, spawning visions, visions of Leia and Luke, of Anakin, and Obi Wan, visions of family and Jedi, some they had loved and lost, and others that they had never met but somehow knew very well.

Ben and Rey's grips tightened on each other as the visions started to accelerate, coming faster and faster…

Ben and Rey saw the battles they had both survived, the fall of the Sith, they looked at themselves while they lay injured and clinging to life in that desolate, stony hall.

Then a new vision presented itself…..

Ben and Rey watched themselves stand somewhere warm and sunny, laughing and embracing.

Rey's lips met Ben's…..

Their arms wound around each other…

They fell down together in the tall, bronze grass…..

While they watched themselves entwine with each other, Ben's palm grew sweaty in Rey's hand and she felt her pulse start to quicken.

In the vision, while Ben and Rey laid in the grass, tangled in each other's arms, footsteps fell gently on the ground nearby.

There was a shadow of someone coming….

Someone…...

Rey released Ben's hand with a gasp and the vision ended, both of them staring blindly ahead, wide-eyed, and winded as they returned to reality after such an intense break.

Ben and Rey were both breathing hard as they turned to look at each other.

"Wha…...what do you think that was?" Rey asked once she recovered the ability to speak.

Ben has never been so excited about something yet so shy at the same time.

"I think you know what it was." Ben said, looking at the woman beside him intently.

_It was the future, Rey. _Ben thought silently. _It was our future._

—

Ben and Rey returned to their encampment silently that morning.

Both of them were too lost in their own thoughts to speak to each other.

The attraction was undeniable between them.

The only thing that had kept them apart before was that they were on opposing sides.

Since that boundary had been eliminated, little stood in their way.

But Rey and Ben had larger problems than their relationship.

The galaxy was still trying to recover, including their own community.

Rey had done what she could to care for the wounded, but that certainly wasn't the end of the work.

Every day was filled with tasks, missions to complete to help those in need, supplies that needed to be delivered or returned…...

Ben and Rey spent a lot of time apart.

Now that Ben had fully recovered, he took on as many jobs as he could, helping to rebuild, bringing food to the needy, doing anything and everything he could to prove to the people and to himself that his allegiance to the dark side was over.

Rey did similar work, scavenging for parts to repair ships, helping to care for those unable to care for themselves, building her own following just as Leia had, through determination and kindness.

However, after several months with no real leader, it became difficult to keep order.

The individuals in Leia's community decided that it was time to put someone in charge.

Rey's dedication and Ben's hard work paid off.

Rey and Ben were chosen together as the new co-generals.

A party was thrown in their honor that lasted long into the night.

"Your mother would be very proud." Rey whispered to Ben when they got a moment between congratulatory handshakes.

Ben didn't know what to say in return.

Ben thought Rey was beautiful, exceptional, truly mesmerizing…..

He was certain if Rey's parents could see her, of course they would be filled with pride.

Rey…

Wanting to express his feelings but lacking social skills, Ben attempted to return Rey's compliment, the oing so in a way that was clumsily beautiful as he looked at her and said honestly, "You make _me _proud."

Rey laughed and gave Ben a look.

Ben's statement was sweet, but it was a little out of place.

Had he always been this awkward?!

—

Once Ben and Rey were selected as the new generals, preparations began.

Leia's followers hoped to scrape together the planets that had survived the war and band together with them, forging a new, free world, but one that was connected….not driven by power or greed.

A world where resources were freely available, a world that all beings could enjoy living in.

Ben had obviously been in a leadership role before, but this was entirely different than controlling the Republic…..

This time Ben would be using his leadership skills to help others, not himself.

Rey had never been in a commanding position before and while she was daunted by the task, she knew that she could rise to the challenge.

Reyhad been mere breaths away from accepting the Sith throne, after all…

Rey was strong and bold, cautious and clever, resourceful…..

Yes, Rey had the qualities necessary of a leader.

It was a good thing that the people had nominated both Rey and Ben.

Together, they balanced each other out, they complimented each other and that was important, not just for them, but now, for what remained of the galaxy.

Arrangements were made for Ben and Rey to depart from the encampment soon and begin traveling from planet to planet, seeing if anyone was interested in joining their new community.

The morning they were scheduled to begin their journey, Rey sat on that same mossy hill at the edge of the forest.

That day, Rey's eyes were open as she gazed out over the landscape absent-mindedly.

"You're not focusing." Ben said, interrupting her thoughts suddenly.

Once again, he had woken and followed her.

"I'm not trying to." Rey said with a sigh. "Not on that at least, not now. My mind is too clouded today."

Ben remained silent but he sat down at her side, quietly keeping Rey company.

"Don't be nervous." Ben said after a few minutes.

"I'm not nervous." Rey said with a shrug. "I'm just….apprehensive, that's all."

"Don't be apprehensive either." Ben said flatly.

It was a firm statement that made Rey look over at him, momentarily offended.

Ben looked back at her very seriously.

Rey cracked a smile at the look on Ben's face and then she started to laugh.

"I'm serious." Ben said, not understanding why Rey was laughing.

"I know, that's what makes it funny." Rey said with a smile once she calmed down.

The early morning breeze whistled past them just like it had on the day that they had held hands together…..

A piece of Rey's hair blew into her face and Ben lifted a hand, gently tucking the stray strand behind Rey's ear.

Rey looked into Ben's eyes and Ben looked back.

The birds chirped cheerfully in the trees…..

The leaves rustled softly as another gust of wind gently whispered through the trees….

Rey closed her eyes just before Ben's lips met hers.

Together, on that mossy hill, Ben and Rey shared their first real kiss.

This time, no one was mortally wounded, no one was celebrating a great triumph, no, this time, Ben and Rey kissed just because they were happy being _together_.

And they were very excited about the future they could help bring to the galaxy_._

Side by side.


	3. Chapter 3 - Peace

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Star Wars! Please let me know if you enjoy! **

—

Ben and Rey went out into the galaxy and began their work.

Days turned to weeks, weeks melted into months, months slipped into years.

Nation by nation, planet by planet, an alliance was formed slowly over time, built on bonds that were based on respect, kindness, and trust.

Together, Ben and Rey became the leaders of not a community, but a government that spanned through the galaxy.

It was not under Sith influence, it was not serving the dark side or any other evil, no, instead, the new government was one of peace, equality, and justice.

In the end, Ben Skywalker was a much better leader than Kylo Ren.

Ben's subjects respected him and relied upon him.

Citizens clapped when they saw Ben and Rey visiting their world, country, or village.

Rey led by example and showed Ben how to care for others, teaching him that every life in the galaxy was important.

Ben was a skilled student.

Leia and Han would have been proud to see the good for others that their son did every day.

Ben and Rey's vision came true.

They built the place that served as the headquarters of the new government and their home next to a field with tall grass that gleamed a beautiful shade of amber in the sunshine.

And the footsteps coming towards them in heir vision, it wasn't an unforeseen enemy, or a foreboding invader.

No….

It was their daughter, Leia Alana Skywalker-Palpatine.

Their baby girl was born on a starry night and as Ben held his infant and looked up at the sky, he breathed a sigh of happy relief.

Ben wasn't afraid of his daughter making the same mistakes he had.

He and Rey had already won that battle.

The dark side was no more.


End file.
